LALITPUR, June 26: Minister for Urban Development, Mohammad Istiyak Rai, has said the Muslim community's participation needs to be increased in the country's politics in order to ensure their rights. Minister Rai said this while speaking at an interaction on 'protection of the Muslim community's rights and their empowerment' organized here Wednesday.

He urged the first Chairperson of Muslim Commission, Shamim Ansari, to take such initiatives that would be historic for the guarantee of the Muslim community. "The National Assembly must have Muslim's representation in coming days," the Minister stressed, adding that the Commission should be active for the protection of Muslim's rights.

He reminded that the Muslim community was ensured rights with the street struggle waged after the establishment of the national Muslim struggle coordination. The public holiday scrapped on Eid has been provided again owing to the pressure created by the Commission and some active Muslim lawmakers, he argued. On the occasion, lawmaker Sheikh Chand Tara shared the information that the government would review the Muslim Commission after ten years of its establishment. "Commission is in need of 30 to 50 employees at present."

So, the Commission must be active to fulfill the vacant posts. Muslim education should be given recognition from the policy level, she underscored. Similarly, another speaker Dr Nehal Asraph suggested the Muslim Commission that it paid heed to food security and child maternal health. "Muslim women should be made able to share their health problems," he viewed. Chairperson of Nepal Development Society, Najrul Hasan Phalahi, said the Commission could work to foil the negative perspective towards the Muslim community.

 
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